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I don't think you're alone, it's just that it's fairly common. Foals are like toddlers... they are mouthy and get into/find trouble. Mine have had the ocassional scrape or missing hair here and there, but not all and that's about it for baby boo boos. I didn't have any foals this year, but my friends have five on the ground. So far the mud seems to be keeping them boo boo free. Once it dries out (yeah right) and they're really able to get going to run and play, I'm sure the owies will come.

As for your colt standing on the hay... just wait until he figures out what a nice bed it makes, plops down to munch and forces mom to eat around him. That's one of their favorite tricks to annoy their mothers.

I can certainly sympathize. When my mare was a yearling she decided it was too warm out and jumped into a full cast iron bath tub. Unfortunately it was slippery inside and she ended up doing a Bambi and ended up dragging the tub (which took 4 men to carry empty) about 30 feet with her hind leg. I thought for sure that was the end of her. She did require stitches (but amazingly never took a lame step and missed a tendon by about 1/100 of an inch) and has a few white hairs as a reminder but she is now a happy sound 4 year old. Babies due stupid scary things but they seem to heal well.

wow! that could have been scary! We have a roundpen in the pasture that he likes to nap in, but occasionally goes ripping in and out and I am scared to death he is going to miss the whole one day and ram right into the fence!

Any creams that you have found to be the best to make sure a scar doesnt form?

Creams for less scars. I like plain 'ol Vet Cream and just last year discovered a wound spray that's tea tree oil and it also works very well.

Good luck w/ your colt. I was going to suggest shutting the gate on the round pen, but then he might not be paying close enough attention and run right into it anyway! Once their brakes get to working well and every time, they learn pretty quick, but babies will be babies.

My new favorite wound care came from another CoTHer: Banixx. I used it on my yearlings cuts and when his lymph node ruptured. Much faster healing than betadine, furacin, neosporin, alushield, etc. Just used it this week on my mare, who skinned her hind cannon, and was again reminded of how quickly this stuff works.

No miracle wound creams to offer but I can relate completely. My yearling chipped his sesamoid bone at 3 and 1/2 months and had surgery, stall rest and then small area turnout.....but he's a yearling now and perfectly fine. You can't even find the scar even if you know where it was. So, just to give you comfort.

Of course this ankle gash happened on the one day I was away all day working a dinner party. It figures. The barn owner kept calling me and asked me if she should call the vet and I told her no. Got there the next day and it was huge. The way it was described it didn't sound that bad! His mother must have kicked him and a chunk of his skin came off. Only thing I can think of.

Looks so much better now and I am using miracle heel. Hope there will be no scar. He is supposed to be my baby beauty!

I also heard that any dry spray is bad because it makes it heal too fast on the outside and not from the inside.

Yep, my baby ripped off a small chunk of skin on her hock. And of course I could not catch her, so I couldn't treat it for a couple days. It's small, but looked to be healing oddly at first. Yesterday it was looking much better.

Thankfully my filly is learning that I can catch her and she won't die, because she was always scurrying away from me. I would try to lead mom into the pasture, and she would get "stuck" on the other side of the fence because walking past me while I was holding the gate opened was too traumatic. That one resulted in her throwing herself against the fence trying to get over or thru. She has gone thru her mom's feed tub, into the stall walls, and once she smacked herself into the side of the doghouse when I was trying to lead her mom in. Maybe she is afraid of getting another enema.

Mine's not a foal, but a 3 y/o in a new pasture. In the two weeks he's been there, he's gotten two bad bites (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I3Elp7ZpDg...626_192853.jpg), one kick, one swollen leg (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZzQW-dTMOP...155%5B1%5D.jpg) and so many little scratches and bumps he's starting to look like an appaloosa! He is a very friendly little guy, seems to like all horses and people. I've seen him making the "I'm a baby" face to the other horses. It hurts me to see him like this and I feel horrible for moving him and turning him out! I've been treating the scrapes with ointment, and cold-hosed the swollen leg which has since gone down.

I've been convinced for years that any horse that makes it to 3 years old must've been kept in a padded cell. Mine have all found ways to damage themselves over the years. I'm happy when it's just a small ding or scar.

My baby spent days two through four of his life at the vet hospital for an impaction. It wasn't even the meconium, which he passed with flying colors. That was a nice financial blow right off the bat!

On his first outing to the pasture, he went right through the fence, in with the geldings next door. Luckily, the only gelding up close was a quiet boy who just looked at him like he was a strange new being. Which I guess he actually was! My friend and I managed to usher the foal back in with mama as my two young fresh geldings were galloping in from the far corner. That would've been mayhem.

Other than that? He was kicked by his mama for interfering with her dinner, but I saw no ill effects from that. He has jumped in the water trough. Again, no apparent injury. How long can my luck hold? He is a pistol!

Shall I tell you what I find beautiful about you? You are at your very best when things are worst.Starman

Mine must be an anomaly. So far nothing but one or two tiny scrapes-though now that I say that I'm sure I'm in for some kinda karma catastrophe.....his mother is VERY tolerant and doesn't discipline him in any way that has left a mark